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Much of Karranis Winterborn’s early life was extensively documented by his regime. He had made himself into a quasi-messianic figure for the Rito, and so his life story became just as much a propaganda tool as traditional Rito culture. Some historians have levied that the claims are thus likely to be false or exaggerated so as to improve their propaganda value. Given that the claims are prima facie plausible and that, based on my understanding of Karranis Winterborn’s character, he would be unlikely to lie, I will take them as fact for the purposes of this book. – From The Second Calamity: The War that Broke a Kingdom by Lizuli Autumnborn, page 6. Lizuli is, for reasons that should be obvious when familiar with some of her other work, one of the only historians to take Rito propaganda as fact uncritically. This statement is the only justification she gives for her position in The Second Calamity.
It was an unseasonably warm morning. Karranis Winterborn knew that autumn was inexorably turning into winter, but today felt like a last gasp of summer. He saw the basalt spire of Rito Village approach before he tilted his wings, trading speed for height until he came to a soft landing on a landing built from spruce near the base of the spire. The updrafts had been weak today; even though he had been flying for years, he had still not yet felt brave enough to attempt a higher landing. His fellow Rito Warriors had encouraged him to, certainly, even given him some benevolent teasing about it, but Karranis knew that they could be better. He was not the only one who flew so cautiously, after all. Still, he was certainly capable; just recently, he had managed a flight all the way to Tabantha Village. It was something of an accomplishment for young Rito; he had not yet gotten the opportunity to make his way all the way to Seres, but he would soon.
As he walked up the stairs, the drip-drip-drip of melting snow mixed with the click-click-click of talons on stone. The red and gold banners matching Elder Mira’s feathers fluttered in the wind as the Second Warrior approached the top of the spire. Karranis secured his tesra and adjusted his pauldrons; he would need to look presentable when he was meeting with the First Warrior. He preened some feathers on both of his wings into place and steeled himself slightly. Karranis was certainly enthusiastic about being a Rito Warrior and had risen through the ranks quickly (in no small part due to the incompetence of some of his peers), but he was still always a bit nervous to be speaking to the First Warrior himself. He also had some doubts about Noth's militarism, but First Warrior Noth’s ideas about restoring the glory of the Rito people had been helpful there. Really, it had been one simple question that Noth had asked him: what had the Hylians ever done for the Rito?
As Karranis approached the large roost that Noth was using as his makeshift headquarters after the previous headquarters had burned down, he heard the First Warrior adjusting papers. He walked in to see him, with his navy blue and white feathers, standing over a map of Tabantha and Seres. Various wooden figures were placed on top of the locations of known Hylian military units, as was the standard. He had seen this depiction many times before. Noth turned to him as he approached and set down the papers he was holding, all written in the Rito language. Karranis had grown up speaking it, but many of the younger generation had begun to speak the language of the Hylians at home. Why the Rito people had begun to abandon their own language was beyond him, but it realistically mattered little except to the most extreme anti-Hylian Rito—of which First Warrior Noth was one.
“Second Warrior Karranis,” Noth said warmly. “I see you received my invitation.”
“It would have been difficult not to,” Karranis replied.
“You never know how things can be in the Rito Warriors these days,” Noth continued. “They have grown complacent for far too long, by my estimation.”
Karranis nodded. “Corruption has been a longstanding issue for the Rito Warriors. Reforms will, of course, be needed.”
“Perhaps in a few years,” Noth agreed. “For now, there are more important issues to be dealt with.”
“The reconquest of Seres,” Karranis stated; they had discussed it many times before. “Do you not feel that we should perhaps first focus on the corruption issues entrenched in our military before launching a military campaign?”
“You wish to delay our people’s reclamation of our rightful territory, then?” Noth pressed. “Are you secretly a Hylian sympathizer, hm?”
“My aim is not to delay it, but to ensure it,” Karranis stated. “Something is rotten in the Rito Warriors. You just admitted it, didn't you? Corruption runs rampant within our ranks. We can and we will make the Rito warriors better, but now? If we were to launch an invasion now, we would be likely to be rebuffed by the Hylians, and only Hylia knows how long it would be until we have recovered the strength to attempt it again. If we wait until we have resolved those issues first, then by my estimation, your plan is very likely to succeed.”
"Still, you have doubts about conducting further military operations," Noth observed.
"I do," Karranis said. "Despite what you've said, I'm not certain that war is the correct course of action here."
"So you do wish to delay it, then," Noth corrected.
At that, a young warrior with a flat beak and green feathers on his head approached. Talle, was that his name? “There’s been an egg delivered to us,” he said.
“By whom?” Karranis asked.
“Tarali Springborn,” the young warrior replied breathlessly.
Noth’s eyes opened wide. “Have it smashed on the side of the pillar.”
“And why should that be done?” Karranis asked.
“We have enough beaks to fill as it is,” Noth replied. “We cannot take another ward.”
“That would be news to me,” Karranis questioned. “I have reviewed our food stores, as you have asked. We have enough to last the winter.”
“Karranis Winterborn,” Noth continued with emphasis on the last name, “do you not remember why that name carries such respect? Are winters not a harsh time for our people, even if our stores are full? Why risk taking on another hatchling?”
“Leave us,” Karranis said before Talle scurried away.
“What do you need to discuss in private, Second Warrior?” Noth asked.
“Are you the father?” Karranis pressed. “Is that why you are so adamant on seeing this egg destroyed? Do you worry that the child will resemble you too much? I know you can be better than this, Noth.” Karranis had not known Noth to be so adamant about anything not related to his hatred of the Hylians. Karranis had silently sworn months ago never to let himself become Noth. He certainly saw some good in Noth, though it was difficult when he was advocating for such a thing. Still, with the proper words, Karranis knew that he could convince Noth to take a better path.
Noth scoffed. “As if I would ever sleep with Tarala Springborn of all women. Have you lost your mind, Karranis?”
Karranis was not quite sure that he believed that, but he would keep that to himself. An egg out of wedlock would be a large scandal already; if the father was known to be the First Warrior, it could be only worse. He considered publicizing it. The people of Rito Village certainly deserved the truth. Still, practical considerations eventually won out. “Who is the father, then?”
“By my best guess, Methi Summerborn,” Noth replied after a few moments.
It was a convenient answer, given that Methi had died in a raid on the household of House Atera just a week before. The supposed father would never deny his parentage from beyond the grave, and so it would be politically expedient to simply agree with Noth on this point. “If it is not your egg, then there should not be a problem in keeping it, correct?” Karranis asked.
Noth paused for a few moments.
“The Rito Warriors have never been known to smash eggs,” Karranis continued. “We have been the ward of last resort for three centuries now. What will it say if you blame a dead man for the egg you just smashed?”
Noth shook his head. “Keep the egg, then, but I will have nothing to do with it. If you're so admant about keeping it, then why don't you raise it yourself?”
Karranis thought on that for a moment. Raising a chick could not be that difficult, could it? "Certainly," Karranis replied. "I will see to it that the egg is raised with due care."
"Do it yourself," Noth ordered.
Karranis nodded. "It will be done."
Karranis flew off back to his roost and directed Talle to have the egg cared for; he had, thankfully, not yet followed Noth's directive to have it smashed. The egg hatched into a healthy young boy a few days later. As Noth had disavowed anything to do with the egg (even though he publicly claimed not to be related to it), it had fallen to Karranis to decide what to name the chick. When he had survived his first winter and started growing navy blue pin feathers, quite similar to First Warrior Noth’s, Karranis had thought that Revali would be a pretty enough name for the chick. Karranis wrote down a note to tell Revali of his suspicions of his true parentage once he had become an adult; Tarala had already run off to live amongst the Gerudo, so Karranis’ theory would remain just that. As he fed young Revali for the first time, Karranis saw the future of the Rito in his green eyes. It was a hopeful future, certainly.